Hypercalcemia is commonly encountered in carcinomas, most commonly in breast and lung cancers, but is also encountered in some hematologic malignancies such as multiple myeloma, leukemia, and lymphoma. Hypercalcemia occurs in 20%-30% of carcinomas during their course and usually portends a poor prognosis.1 It occurs in malignancy predominantly due to 2 mechanisms. The first mechanism is parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) and osteolytic bone metastasis. Hypercalcemia mediated by PTHrP release by the tumor is commonly called humoral hypercalcemia.
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